A digital loyalty card for your car wash

A car wash is a habit business. A customer who comes every second or third week is worth far more than one who comes after the first bird-dropping disaster, and the choice between your lane and the one at the fuel station is made in a minute. A loyalty card in the phone, joined once at your kiosk, gives them a reason to turn into your forecourt again, and a prepaid pack gives you the money earlier.

What to reward, and after how many stamps?

Rewards for a car wash should be cheap for you and obvious to the customer.

• 8A free standard washThe classic. Cost is water, power and product, not the sticker price.
• 5Free upgrade to the premium washGets customers to taste the better programme.
• 4Free interior vacuum or mats cleanedA quick early win, often a few minutes of staff time.
• 10A free wash for a friend's carBrings in a new customer who may sign up too.

Example calculation: a standard wash sells for €10 and costs you about €2 in water, power and products. Eight paid washes bring in €80, and the free wash costs you around 2.5 % of that, or 12.5 % if you count full price. These are example figures. Customers who come every few weeks need a short card, so 6 to 8 stamps is a sensible start.

Cards can have between 3 and 30 stamps. Changing the number affects only new cards.

Which card type fits a car wash?

The stamp card (Essential) is the base: one stamp per wash, a free wash at the end.

On Pro, two more types are worth a look:

• Pack card. Sell a pack of washes up front, for example five or ten. The card shows “Not active yet” until staff tap Activate after payment, then staff tap Use 1 for each wash. Sell a pack adds another when it runs out. You are holding the customer’s money, so check prepaid rules with your accountant.
• Points. Useful if you sell washes at different prices plus extras such as polish or interior cleaning. Staff enter the amount and the customer earns points per euro.

Pro also lets you run several cards at once, for example a stamp card for single washes and a pack card for your frequent customers.

How does stamping work on the lane?

Put the scanner on a phone or tablet where you meet the customer: the payment kiosk, the cashier window or the lane entrance. Scan the pass when the wash is paid. The screen shows “+1” and a first name with progress, and the pass updates within seconds.

• One stamp per wash: the cooldown between two stamps is 5 minutes by default, so a repeat scan is blocked. Change it if you want one stamp per day.
• Several staff: each person logs in with a PIN, and every stamp records who scanned it.
• Mistakes: the owner or a manager corrects the card in the dashboard with Adjust stamps; the reason and who made the change are logged.
• Reward ready: the pass shows it, and the customer gets a lock-screen notification. Staff tap the claim button and start the free wash.

Seasonal and occasion ideas

• Late winter: road salt is everywhere, and so is the urge for a wash once it stops freezing.
• After a rainy or dusty week: a short message about a quiet lane works better than a discount on every day.
• Spring pollen and summer holidays: cars before a long drive.
• Autumn leaves and mud: wet-season rewards, such as a free underbody wash.
• December: gift packs, for example a pack card sold as a present.

What to send by push or e-mail

Push messages (Pro) show on the lock screen and only reach customers who opted in to news. Keep to one or two a month. Examples:

• Example · title: “Salt season is over” · message: “Come for an underbody wash this week. Show your card at the kiosk.”
• Example · title: “Quiet at the wash today” · message: “No queue before 11:00. Card holders get a free interior vacuum.”
• Example · title: “One wash to go” · message: “You are one stamp from a free wash.”

E-mail idea: a short message to customers not seen in 30 days, sent from your own address, with a reminder of your premium programme.

Common objections

“My customers just drive through.” Joining is one scan of the QR stand while they pay. They type a first name and an e-mail, nothing else.

“It will slow the lane.” The scan happens at payment, not at the lane. It is one move with the phone.

“I’m unmanned at night.” The scanner needs a person with a phone, so it fits staffed hours best. Customers can still join at the stand any time.

“I already offer a monthly subscription.” Keep it. A card can sit alongside it for single washes or extras.

What does it cost?

Essential costs €29 a month excl. VAT: one location, one stamp card, unlimited customers and scans, the scanner for your whole team and your first QR stand. Pro, at €59 a month, adds pack cards, push messages, e-mails and several cards at once, with a 14-day free trial.

If you also run a café or a shop on site, see the café page.